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Set 46 – Five New Words for Feb 15

Theme: Words that have meanings in multiple parts of speech

1. paragon (PAR-uh-gohn)

MEANING:
noun:
1. A model of excellence or perfection.
2. A match or an equal.
3. A perfect diamond weighing 100 carats or more.
4. A very large round pearl.
5. A type size of 20 points.
verb tr.:
To compare, parallel, rival, or surpass.

USAGE:
“Mom, a paragon of manners, stresses the importance of offering sincere gratitude before asking for more.”

“The Cavaliere … paragoned her in his song to all the pagan goddesses of antiquity.”

MEANING:
verb intr.: To delay, stay, or wait.
verb tr.: To wait for.
noun: A short stay; a sojourn.
adjective: Of, like, or smeared with tar.

USAGE:
“Although they’ve been criticized for tarrying, county officials say work is progressing.”

“The story of Jesus’s three-day-long tarry with the elders of the temple becomes, in Ms. Rice’s hands, a fever dream.”

“Otters are mainly detected by their characteristic spraints ( = otter dung), which have a tarry smell.”

5. bluff (bluhf)

MEANING:
verb tr., intr.: 1. To mislead or deceive, especially by a false display of confidence.
noun: 2. An instance of bluffing; also one who bluffs.
adjective: 3. Good-naturedly direct in speech or manner.
noun: 4. A broad, steep cliff or promontory. 5. A grove or clump of trees.

USAGE:
“Answer with authority and they’ll believe the bluff. How many of us love that advertisement where the dad tells the kid that the Great Wall of China was built to keep the rabbits out?”

“Kip Hawley, the man who runs the TSA, is a bluff, amiable fellow who is capable of making a TSA joke. ‘Do you want three ounces of water?’ he asked me.”

“Record snowfall of more than 16 feet on the bluff has chased moose to the lower elevations.”